Lighting system for growing plants which provides a location indication

ABSTRACT

An apparatus including a computer and a first lighting system operatively in communication with the computer. The first lighting system includes a first communication module in communication with the computer. The first communication module provides a first location parameter to the computer for a digital location map, the first location parameter corresponding to a location of the first lighting system, the first location parameter being adjustable in response to moving the first lighting system.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/982,960 filed May 17, 2018, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 15/004,320 filed Jan. 22, 2016 and later granted asU.S. Pat. No. 9,986,621, the contents of which are hereby incorporatedherein by reference in its entirety as if set forth verbatim.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to facilitating plant growth usinglight.

Description of the Related Art

Some lighting systems for growing plants utilize gas-based lights andother lighting systems utilize light emitting diodes (LEDs). Moreinformation regarding lighting systems for growing plants can be foundin U.S. Pat. No. 6,688,759 to Hadjimichael, the contents of which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Information regardinglighting systems that utilize LEDs can be found in U.S. Pat. No.5,012,609 to Ignatius et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,278,432 to Ignatius etal., U.S. Pat. No. 6,474,838 to Fang et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,602,275 toSullivan, U.S. Pat. No. 6,921,182 to Anderson et al., U.S. PatentApplication Nos. 20040189555 to Capen et al., 20070058368 to Partee etal., U.S. Patent Application No. 20110125296 to Bucove, et al., U.S.Patent Application No. 20050030538 to Jaffar and InternationalApplication No. PCT/CA2007/001096 to Tremblay et al., the contents ofall of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

Other lighting systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,657,463 toLichten et al., U.S. Pat. No. 8,739,465 to Goeschl, and U.S. Pat. No.8,826,589 to Goeschl, as well as U.S. Patent Application Nos.20050030538 to Jaffar et al. and 20080094857 to Smith et al., thecontents of all of which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety.

There are many different manufacturers that use light emitting diodesfor the growing of plants. Some of these manufacturers include HomegrownLights, Inc., which provides the Procyon 100, SuperLED, which providesthe LightBlaze 400, Sunshine Systems, which provides the GrowPanel Pro,Theoreme Innovation, Inc., which provides the TI SmartLamp, and HID Hut,Inc., which provides the LED UFO.

However, it is desirable to provide a lighting system which provides anindication of its location.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a lighting system for facilitatingthe growth of plants, wherein the lighting system provides an indicationof its location. The novel features of the invention are set forth withparticularity in the appended claims. The invention will be bestunderstood from the following description when read in conjunction withthe accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1a is a block diagram of an apparatus, which includes a computerand a first lighting system operatively in communication with thecomputer.

FIG. 1b is a block diagram of another apparatus, which includes thecomputer and the first lighting system of FIG. 1a , and a secondlighting system operatively in communication with the computer.

FIG. 2a is a block diagram of an apparatus, which includes the computerof FIG. 1a , and a lighting system array operatively in communicationwith the computer.

FIG. 2b is a schematic diagram of the apparatus of FIG. 2a proximate toan area, wherein the apparatus includes the lighting system array ofFIG. 2 a.

FIG. 2c is a front view of the computer of FIG. 2b , which includes adisplay displaying a digital location map corresponding to FIG. 2 b.

FIG. 2d is a front view of the computer, which includes the display ofFIG. 2c displaying a digital light map corresponding to FIG. 2 b.

FIG. 2e is a schematic diagram of the apparatus of FIG. 2b proximate tothe area of FIG. 2b , wherein a lighting system of the lighting systemarray has been moved to a different location within the area.

FIG. 2f is a front view of the computer of FIG. 2e , which includes thedisplay of FIG. 2c displaying a digital location map corresponding toFIG. 2 e.

FIG. 2g is a front view of the computer of FIG. 2e , which includes thedisplay of FIG. 2c displaying a digital light map corresponding to FIG.2 e.

FIG. 2h is a front view of the computer of FIG. 2e , which includes thedisplay of FIG. 2c displaying another digital light map.

FIG. 3a is a block diagram of an apparatus, which includes the lightingsystem array of FIG. 2a and a light sensor array operatively coupled tothe computer.

FIG. 3b is a schematic diagram of the apparatus of FIG. 3a proximate toan area of FIG. 3b , wherein the apparatus includes the lighting systemarray and light sensory array of FIG. 3 a.

FIG. 3c is a front view of the computer of FIG. 3b , which includes thedisplay of FIG. 2c displaying a digital location map corresponding toFIG. 3 b.

FIG. 3d is a front view of the computer of FIG. 3b , which includes thedisplay of FIG. 2c displaying a digital light map corresponding to FIG.3 b.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention disclosed herein is a lighting system for facilitating thegrowth of plants, wherein the lighting system provides a positionindication of its location. The invention disclosed herein can beunderstood with reference to U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,297,782 and 8,668,350, thecontents of all of which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety. Further, the invention disclosed herein can be understood withreference to U.S. Patent Application Nos. 20130294065 and 20130293156,the contents of all of which are incorporated herein by reference intheir entirety. The position indications discussed herein can be of manydifferent types of indications, such as an electrical signal. Theelectrical signal of the position indications can be of many differenttypes of electrical signals, such as a digital position signal andanalog position signal.

Some embodiments of the invention disclosed herein determine a locationparameter. The location parameter typically corresponds to a position,such as a physical position. The location parameters can be of manydifferent types, such as a position coordinate. The position coordinatecan include many different types of coordinates, such as a latitude,longitude, and height.

The location parameter can be determined in many different ways, such asby using a positioning chip. The positioning chip can be of severaldifferent types. One example of a positioning chip is a GlobalPositioning System (GPS) chip. More information regarding GPS chips canbe found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,477,187, 7,592,954, 7,626,543, 8,330,654,8,489,124, and U.S. Patent Application No. 20120252482, the contents ofall of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Theinformation of the position coordinate can correspond to the informationprovided by the GPS chip.

Another example of a positioning chip is a Radio Signal StrengthIndicator (RSSI) chip. More information regarding RSSI chips can befound in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,009,573 and 8,548,497, the contents of all ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. There areseveral commercially available RSSI chips, such as those manufactured byANALOG DEVICES of Norwood, Mass. Example RSSI chips provided by ANALOGDEVICES include the AD8306, AD8307, AD8309, AD8310, AD8317. MAXIMINTEGRATED of San Jose, Calif. also provides an RSSI chip. An ExampleRSSI chip provided by MAXIM INTEGRATED is the MAX2511. More informationregarding all of these chips can be found in their corresponding DataSheets, which are readily available.

The embodiments of the invention disclosed herein can determine thelocation parameter using triangulation. More information regardingtriangulation can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,452,544, and U.S. PatentApplication Nos. 20120257604 and 20140241189, the contents of all ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.Triangulation can utilize a BLUE TOOTH compliant chip, such as theBlueNRG Low Energy Wireless Network Processor and STLBC01 Low EnergyMicrocontroller, which are both manufactured by ST Microelectronics ofGeneva, Switzerland.

The embodiments of the invention disclosed herein can determine thelocation parameter by determining a network ping response rate (e.g.pinging). More information regarding pinging can be found in U.S. Pat.Nos. 8,116,783 and 8,731,493, and U.S. Patent Application Nos.20100150117 and 20140036894, the contents of all of which areincorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

The embodiments of the invention disclosed herein can include acomputer, which determines the location parameter of the lightingsystem. The computer can adjust a light signal provided by the lightingsystem in response to a control indication that the location parameterhas been adjusted. The control indications discussed herein can be ofmany different types of indications, such as an electrical signal. Theelectrical signals of the control indications can be of many differenttypes of electrical signals, such as a digital control signal and analogcontrol signal. The computer can adjust the light signal provided by thelighting system by adjusting an output signal, which flows between thecomputer and the first lighting system. The output signals discussedherein can be of many different types of signals, such as an electricalsignal. The electrical signals of the output signals can be of manydifferent types of electrical signals, such as a digital output signaland analog output signal.

The computer can determine the location parameter of the lighting systemin many different ways, such as by using a wireless network. Thewireless network can be of many different types, such as a wireless meshnetwork. An example of a wireless mesh network is one that uses a Zigbeemodule (IEEE 802.15.4). More information regarding Zigbee modules can befound in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,260,360, 7,957,697, 8,107,513, 8,046,431, thecontents of all of which are incorporated herein by reference in theirentirety. The wireless network can be a wireless personal area network.An example of a wireless personal area network is one that usesBluetooth (IEEE 802.15.1). More information regarding Bluetooth modulescan be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,565,112, 8,706,032, 8,805,277,8,615,270, the contents of all of which are incorporated herein byreference in their entirety. It should be noted that the lighting systemcan have a corresponding Internet Protocol (IP) address to facilitatethe identification of the lighting system by the computer.

FIG. 1a is a block diagram of an apparatus 100 a, which includes acomputer 101 and a first lighting system 110 a operatively incommunication with the computer 101. In this embodiment, the firstlighting system 110 a includes a first light array 130 a operatively incommunication with the computer 101, wherein the first light array 130 ais capable of providing a first light signal S_(Light1). The first lightarray 130 a can be of many different types of arrays, such as thosedisclosed in the above mentioned U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,297,782 and 8,668,350and U.S. Patent Application Nos. 20130294065 and 20130293156, whereinthe light array includes an array of LEDs.

In this embodiment, the first lighting system 110 a includes a firstcommunication module 120 a in communication with the computer 101. Thefirst communication module 120 a can be of many different types ofmodules. In this embodiment, the first communication module 120 aincludes a positioning chip (not shown) that provides a positionindication of the position thereof. The positioning chip of the firstcommunication module 120 a can be of many different types, such as a GPSchip and RSSI chip.

It should be noted that the first communication module 120 a istypically positioned proximate to the first light array 130 a so thatthe position of the first communication module 120 a corresponds to theposition of the first light array 130 a. In this way, the position ofthe first communication module 120 a corresponds to the position of thefirst lighting system 110 a.

In this embodiment, the first communication module 120 a provides afirst location parameter to the computer 101, wherein the first locationparameter corresponds to the location of the first lighting system 110a. The first communication module 120 a can provide the first locationparameter to the computer in many different ways, such as through awired communication link and a wireless communication link. In thisembodiment, the first location parameter is included with a firstcommunication signal S_(Comm1). The first location parameter can be ofmany different types, such as a position coordinate, which provides thecomputer 101 with the position indication of the physical position ofthe first lighting system 110 a. The position coordinate can includemany different types of information, such as a latitude, longitude, andheight. The information of the position coordinate can be provided bythe GPS chip.

In one mode of operation, the first location parameter of the firstcommunication module 120 a is adjusted in response to adjusting thelocation of the first lighting system 110 a. In this mode of operation,the first location parameter of the first communication module 120 a isadjusted in response to adjusting the location of the first light array130 a.

In some embodiments, a wireless network is established proximate to thefirst lighting system 110 a and first communication module 120 a. Thewireless network establishes communication between the computer 101 andfirst communication module 120 a. Hence, the wireless network can beused to flow the first communication signal S_(Comm1) between thecomputer 101 and first communication module 120 a. In this way, thewireless network can be used to flow the first location parameter to thecomputer 101. The wireless network can be of many different types, suchas those mentioned above.

In this embodiment, the first light array 130 a is used to provide thefirst light signal S_(Light1) to grow a plant (not shown), wherein thecomputer 101 is provided with the location of the plant. The location ofthe first lighting system 110 a can be adjusted to adjust the positionof the first light array 130 a relative to the plant. Hence, the firstlocation parameter is adjusted in response to adjusting the position ofthe first light array 130 a relative to the plant. In this way, thecomputer 101 is provided with the position indication corresponding tothe location of the first lighting system 110 a relative to the plant.

In another mode of operation, the computer 101 adjusts the first lightsignal S_(Light1) provided by the first lighting system 110 a inresponse to a first control indication that the first location parameterhas been adjusted. In this embodiment, the computer 101 adjusts thefirst light signal S_(Light1) provided by the first lighting system 110a by adjusting a first output signal S_(Output1). The first outputsignal S_(Output1) flows between the computer 101 and the first lightingsystem 110 a. In particular, the computer 101 adjusts the first lightsignal S_(Light1) provided by the first light array 130 a in response tothe first control indication that the first location parameter has beenadjusted. In this embodiment, the computer 101 adjusts the first lightsignal S_(Light1) provided by the first light array 130 a by adjustingthe first output signal S_(Output1). The first output signal S_(Output1)flows between the computer 101 and the first light array 130 a.

FIG. 1b is a block diagram of an apparatus 100 b, which includes thecomputer 101 and the first lighting system 110 a (FIG. 1a ) operativelyin communication with the computer 101. In this embodiment, the firstlighting system 110 a includes the first light array 130 a operativelyin communication with the computer 101, wherein the first light array130 a is capable of providing the first light signal S_(Light1). Thefirst lighting system 110 a includes the first communication module 120a in communication with the computer 101. The first communication module120 a can be of many different types. In this embodiment, the firstcommunication module 120 a includes a positioning chip (not shown) thatprovides an indication of the position thereof. The positioning chip ofthe first communication module 120 a can be of many different types,such as a GPS chip and RSSI chip.

It should be noted that the first communication module 120 a istypically positioned proximate to the first light array 130 a so thatthe position of the first communication module 120 a corresponds to theposition of the first light array 130 a. In this way, the position ofthe first communication module 120 a corresponds to the position of thefirst lighting system 110 a.

In this embodiment, the first communication module 120 a provides thefirst location parameter to the computer 101, wherein the first locationparameter corresponds to the location of the first lighting system 110a. The first communication module 120 a can provide the first locationparameter to the computer 101 in many different ways, such as through awired communication link and a wireless communication link. In thisembodiment, the first location parameter is included with the firstcommunication signal S_(Comm1). The first location parameter can be ofmany different types, such as a position coordinate, which provides thecomputer 101 with the position indication of the physical position ofthe first lighting system 110 a. The position coordinate can includemany different types of information, such as a latitude, longitude, andheight. The information of the position coordinate can be provided bythe GPS chip.

Further, in this embodiment, the apparatus 100 b includes a secondlighting system 110 b operatively in communication with the computer101. The second lighting system 110 b includes a second light array 130b operatively in communication with the computer 101, wherein the secondlight array 130 b is capable of providing a second light signalS_(Light2). In this embodiment, the second lighting system 110 bincludes a second communication module 120 b in communication with thecomputer 101. The second communication module 120 b can be of manydifferent types. In this embodiment, the second communication module 120b includes a positioning chip (not shown) that provides an indication ofthe position thereof. The positioning chip of the second communicationmodule 120 b can be of many different types, such as a GPS chip and RSSIchip.

It should be noted that the second communication module 120 b istypically positioned proximate to the second light array 130 b so thatthe position of the second communication module 120 b corresponds to theposition of the second light array 130 b. In this way, the position ofthe second communication module 120 b corresponds to the position of thesecond lighting system 110 b.

In this embodiment, the second communication module 120 b provides asecond location parameter to the computer 101, wherein the secondlocation parameter corresponds to the location of the second lightingsystem 110 b. The second communication module 120 b can provide thesecond location parameter to the computer 101 in many different ways,such as through a wired communication link and a wireless communicationlink. In this embodiment, the second location parameter is included witha second communication signal S_(Comm2). The second location parametercan be of many different types, such as a position coordinate, whichprovides the computer 101 with the position indication of the physicalposition of the second lighting system 110 b. The position coordinatecan include many different types of information, such as a latitude,longitude, and height. The information of the position coordinate can beprovided by the GPS chip.

In one mode of operation, the first location parameter of the firstcommunication module 120 a is adjusted in response to adjusting thelocation of the first lighting system 110 a. In this mode of operation,the first location parameter of the first communication module 120 a isadjusted in response to adjusting the location of the first light array130 a.

Further, the second location parameter of the second communicationmodule 120 b is adjusted in response to adjusting the location of thesecond lighting system 110 b. In this mode of operation, the secondlocation parameter of the second communication module 120 b is adjustedin response to adjusting the location of the second light array 130 b.

In another mode of operation, at least one of the first and secondlocation parameters are adjusted in response to adjusting the locationof at least one of the first and second lighting systems 110 a and 110b. In this mode of operation, at least one of the first and secondlocation parameters are adjusted in response to adjusting the locationof at least one of the first and second light arrays 130 a and 130 b.

In some embodiments, a wireless network is established proximate to thefirst and second communication modules 120 a and 120 b and secondlighting systems 110 a and 110 b. The wireless network establishescommunication between the computer 101 and first and secondcommunication modules 120 a and 120 b. Hence, the wireless network canbe used to flow the first and second communication signals S_(Comm1) andS_(Comm2) between the computer 101 and first and second communicationmodules 120 a and 120 b. In this way, the wireless network can be usedto flow the first and second location parameters to the computer 101.The wireless network can be of many different types, several of whichare discussed in more detail above.

As mentioned above, the first light array 130 a is used to provide thefirst light signal S_(Light1) to grow the plant (not shown), wherein thecomputer 101 is provided with the location of the plant. The location ofthe first lighting system 110 a can be adjusted to adjust the positionof the first light array 130 a relative to the plant. Hence, the firstlocation parameter is adjusted in response to adjusting the position ofthe first light array 130 a relative to the plant. In this way, thecomputer 101 is provided with the position indication corresponding tothe location of the first lighting system 110 a relative to the plant.

Further, the second light array 130 b is used to provide the secondlight signal S_(Light2) to grow the plant (not shown), wherein thecomputer 101 is provided with the location of the plant. The location ofthe second lighting system 110 b can be adjusted to adjust the positionof the second light array 130 b relative to the plant. Hence, the secondlocation parameter is adjusted in response to adjusting the position ofthe second light array 130 b relative to the plant. In this way, thecomputer 101 is provided with the position indication corresponding tothe location of the second lighting system 110 b relative to the plant.

In one mode of operation, the computer 101 adjusts the first lightsignal S_(Light1) provided by the first lighting system 110 a inresponse to a first control indication that the first location parameterhas been adjusted. In this embodiment, the computer 101 adjusts thefirst light signal S_(Light1) provided by the first lighting system 110a by adjusting the first output signal S_(Output1). The first outputsignal S_(Output1) flows between the computer 101 and the first lightingsystem 110 a. In particular, the computer 101 adjusts the first lightsignal S_(Light1) provided by the first light array 130 a in response tothe first control indication that the first location parameter has beenadjusted. In this embodiment, the computer 101 adjusts the first lightsignal S_(Light1) provided by the first light array 130 a by adjustingthe first output signal S_(Output1). The first output signal S_(Output1)flows between the computer 101 and the first light array 130 a.

In another mode of operation, the computer 101 adjusts the second lightsignal S_(Light2) provided by the second lighting system 110 b inresponse to a second control indication that the second locationparameter has been adjusted. In this embodiment, the computer 101adjusts the second light signal S_(Light2) provided by the secondlighting system 110 b by adjusting a second output signal S_(Output2).The second output signal S_(Output2) flows between the computer 101 andthe second lighting system 110 b. In particular, the computer 101adjusts the second light signal S_(Light2) provided by the second lightarray 130 b in response to the second control indication that the secondlocation parameter has been adjusted. In this embodiment, the computer101 adjusts the second light signal S_(Light2) provided by the secondlight array 130 b by adjusting the second output signal S_(Output2). Thesecond output signal S_(Output2) flows between the computer 101 and thesecond light array 130 b.

In another mode of operation, the computer 101 adjusts at least one ofthe first and second light signals S_(Light1) and S_(Light2) provided bythe corresponding first and second lighting systems 110 a and 110 b. Thefirst and/or second light signals S_(Light1) and S_(Light2) are adjustedin response to a third control indication that at least one of the firstand second location parameters of the corresponding first and secondlighting systems 110 a and 110 b has been adjusted. In some situations,the third control indication includes at least one of the first andsecond control indications. In particular, the computer 101 adjusts atleast one of the first and second light signals S_(Light1) andS_(Light2) provided by the corresponding first and second light arrays130 a and 130 b. The first and/or second light signals S_(Light1) andS_(Light2) are adjusted in response to the third control indication thatat least one of the first and second location parameters of thecorresponding first and second light arrays 130 a and 130 b has beenadjusted. As mentioned above, in some situations, the third controlindication includes at least one of the first and second controlindications.

FIG. 2a is a block diagram of an apparatus 100 c, and FIG. 2b is aschematic diagram of the apparatus 100 c of FIG. 2a proximate to an area107. The area 107 can correspond to many different types of areas, suchas those associated with a grow house and greenhouse. An example of agrow house is a building in which one or more plants are grown insidethe building using artificial light, such as light from halogen lampsand/or LEDs. An example of a greenhouse is a building in which one ormore plants are grown using at least some natural light. Somegreenhouses utilize natural light and artificial light. Examples ofgreenhouses are provided in U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,915,015, 8,578,650, and7,228,657, the contents of all of which are incorporated herein byreference in their entirety.

In this embodiment, the apparatus 100 c includes the computer 101, and alighting system array 105 operatively in communication with the computer101. In this embodiment, the lighting system array 105 includes aplurality of lighting systems, such as the lighting systems 110 a and110 b of FIGS. 1a and 1b . It should be noted that the lighting systemarray 105 can include the lighting systems 110 a and 110 b, which arediscussed in more detail above. The plurality of lighting systems of thelighting system array 105 are denoted as lighting systems 110 a, 110 b,. . . , 110N, wherein N is a whole number greater than one. For example,when N is equal to three (N=3), the lighting system array 105 includesthe lighting systems 110 a, 110 b, and 110 c. When N is equal to five(N=5), the lighting system array 105 includes the lighting systems 110a, 110 b, 110 c, 110 d, and 110 e. It should be noted that N is equal tofour (N=4) in FIG. 2b , so that the apparatus 100 c includes thelighting systems 110 a, 110 b, 110 c, and 110 d. In general, thelighting system array 105 includes one or more lighting systems.

The lighting systems of FIGS. 2a and 2b include a communication module,such as the first and second communication modules 120 a and 120 b, aswell as a light array, such as the first and second light arrays 130 aand 130 b. Example communication modules are discussed in more detailabove, and an example of the lighting systems of FIGS. 2a and 2b isprovided in more detail below.

In this embodiment, the computer 101 determines the location parameterof each lighting system of the lighting system array 105, as shown inFIG. 2b . The location parameter corresponds to the location of acorresponding lighting system of the lighting system array 105, asdiscussed in more detail above with the first (FIGS. 1a and 1b ) andsecond (FIG. 1b ) location parameters. The lighting systems 110 a, 110b, 110 c, and 110 d have first, second, third, and fourth locationparameter of P₁, P₂, P₃, and P₄, respectively. In this embodimentwherein N is equal to four, the first, second, third, and fourthlocation parameters P₁, P₂, P₃, and P₄ are included with the first,second, third and fourth communication signals S_(Comm1), S_(Comm2),S_(Comm3), and S_(Comm4), respectively. In the embodiment wherein N isequal to three, the first, second, and third location parameters P₁, P₂,and P₃ are included with the first, second, and third communicationsignals S_(Comm1), S_(Comm2), and S_(Comm3). In the embodiment wherein Nis equal to five, the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth locationparameters P₁, P₂, P₃, P₄, and P₅ are included with the first, second,third, fourth, and fifth communication signals S_(Comm1), S_(Comm2),S_(Comm3), S_(Comm4) and S_(Comm5). In general, the N^(th) locationparameters P₁, P₂, P_(N) are included with the N^(th) communicationsignals S_(Comm1), S_(Comm2), . . . , S_(CommN). It should be noted thatthe computer 101 can determine the location parameter of the lightingsystem in many different ways, such as those discussed in more detailabove. For example, the computer can determine the location parameterusing GPS, RSSI, triangulation and/or pinging.

In one embodiment of the apparatus 100 c, the computer 101 determinesthe location parameter of the lighting systems of the lighting systemarray 105. For example, in one situation, the computer 101 determinesthe first location parameter P₁ of the first lighting system 110 a,wherein the first location parameter P₁ is provided to the computer 101with the first communication signal S_(Comm1). In another situation, thecomputer 101 determines the second location parameter P₂ of the secondlighting system 110 b, wherein the second location parameter P₂ isprovided to the computer 101 with the second communication signalS_(Comm2). In another situation, the computer 101 determines the thirdlocation parameter P₃ of the third lighting system 110 c, wherein thethird location parameter P₃ is provided to the computer 101 with thethird communication signal S_(Comm3). In another situation, the computer101 determines the fourth location parameter P₄ of the fourth lightingsystem 110 d, wherein the fourth location parameter P₄ is provided tothe computer 101 with the fourth communication signal S_(Comm4). Ingeneral, the computer determines the N^(th) location parameter P_(N) ofthe lighting system 110N, wherein the N^(th) location parameter P_(N) isprovided to the computer with the N^(th) communication signal S_(CommN).

In another embodiment of the apparatus 100 c, the computer 101determines the location parameter of the lighting systems of thelighting system array 105. For example, in one situation, the computer101 determines the first and third location parameters P₁ and P₃ of thelighting systems 110 a and 110 c, wherein the first and third locationparameters P₁ and P₃ are provided to the computer 101 with the first andthird communication signals S_(Comm1) and S_(Comm3), respectively. Inanother situation, the computer 101 determines the second locationparameter P₂ of the second lighting system 110 b, wherein the secondlocation parameter P₂ is provided to the computer 101 with the secondcommunication signal S_(Comm2). In another situation, the computer 101determines the third location parameter P₃ of the third lighting system110 c, wherein the third location parameter P₃ is provided to thecomputer 101 with the third communication signal S_(Comm3). In anothersituation, the computer 101 determines the fourth location parameter P₄of the fourth lighting system 110 d, wherein the fourth locationparameter P₄ is provided to the computer 101 with the fourthcommunication signal S_(Comm4). In general, the computer 101 determinesthe N^(th) location parameter of at least one of the lighting systems110 a, 110 b, 110N, respectively, wherein the N^(th) location parameterare provided to the computer 101 with the corresponding N^(th)communication signals.

FIG. 2c is a front view of the computer 101 of FIG. 2b , which includesa display 102. The display 102 can be of many different types, such asone typically included with a computer to display an image. The display102 can also be one typically used with a mobile electronic device, suchas a mobile phone and personal digital assistant. An example of a mobilephone is an IPHONE and an example of a personal digital assistant is anIPAD.

In this embodiment, the computer 101 provides a digital location map 103corresponding to the location parameters discussed in more detail above.The digital location map 103 is displayed by the display 102. Thecomputer 101 can provide the digital location map 103 in many differentways, such as those discussed in more detail above. For example, thecomputer 101 can determine the location parameter using GPS, RSSI,triangulation and/or pinging.

In this embodiment, the digital location map 103 corresponds to thepositioning of the lighting systems 110 a, 110 b, 110 c, and 110 b asshown in FIG. 2b , wherein the lighting systems 110 a, 110 b, 110 c, and110 b have first, second, third, and fourth location parameters P₁, P₂,P₃, and P₄, respectively. The digital location map 103 includes a firstlighting system icon 111 a which represents the first lighting system110 a, wherein the first lighting system icon 111 a is represented asbeing at a position corresponding to the first location parameter P₁.The digital location map 103 includes a second lighting system icon 111b which represents the second lighting system 110 b, wherein the secondlighting system icon 111 b is represented as being at a positioncorresponding to the second location parameter P₂. The digital locationmap 103 includes a third lighting system icon 111 c which represents thethird lighting system 110 c, wherein the third lighting system icon 111c is represented as being at a position corresponding to the thirdlocation parameter P₃. The digital location map 103 includes a fourthlighting system icon 111 d which represents the fourth lighting system110 d, wherein the fourth lighting system icon 111 d is represented asbeing at a position corresponding to the fourth location parameter P₄.

It should be noted that the lighting system icons 111 a, 111 b, 111 cand 111 d are graphical representations of the corresponding lightingsystems 110 a, 110 b, 110 c, and 110 d. The lighting system icons 111 a,111 b, 111 c and 111 d generally include a pixel, wherein the pixel caninclude color. The lighting system icons 111 a, 111 b, 111 c, and 111 dcan have an image file format, such as JPEG, TIFF, and BMP.

FIG. 2d is a front view of the computer 101, which includes the display102. In this embodiment, the computer 101 provides a digital light map104 corresponding to the location parameters discussed in more detailabove. The digital light map 104 is displayed by display 102.

The computer 101 can provide the digital light map 104 in many differentways. In this embodiment, the digital light map 104 corresponds to thepositioning of the lighting systems 110 a, 110 b, 110 c, and 110 b asshown in FIG. 2b , wherein the lighting systems 110 a, 110 b, 110 c, and110 b have first, second, third, and fourth location parameters P₁, P₂,P₃, and P₄, respectively. The digital light map 104 includes contourlines which represent the intensity of light provided by the lightingsystems 110 a, 110 b, 110 c, and 110 b. For example, the number anddensity of contour lights proximate to first location parameter P₁represents the intensity of light provided by the first lighting system110 a. The number and density of contour lights proximate to the secondlocation parameter P₂ represents the intensity of light provided by thesecond lighting system 110 b. The number and density of contour lightsproximate to the third location parameter P₃ represents the intensity oflight provided by the third lighting system 110 c. The number anddensity of contour lights proximate to the fourth location parameter P₄represents the intensity of light provided by the fourth lighting system110 d.

The contour lines can be determined by the computer 101 in manydifferent ways, several of which are discussed in more detail below. Thecomputer 101 can be in communication with a light sensor which provideslight intensity information. Software operating on the computer 101 canuse the light intensity information provided by the light sensor toprovide the contour lines. There are many different types of softwarethat can be used, such as imaging software. Some examples of imagingsoftware that can be used include PROSOURCE for light source modelingand TRACEPRO. Other types of software that can be used include buildingdesign software. Building design software is generally used to determinethe lighting requirements of a building. Some examples of buildingdesign software include ECOTECT, RELUX, and RADIANCE. In this way, thecomputer 101 provides the digital light map 104 corresponding to theamount of light provided by the lighting system array 105.

It should be noted that the digital light map 104 can be driven to adesired digital light map in response to adjusting the location of alighting system of the lighting system array 105. This feature will bediscussed in more detail with FIGS. 2e, 2f and 2g below.

FIG. 2e is a schematic diagram of the apparatus 100 c of FIG. 2bproximate to the area 107, wherein the second lighting system 110 b hasbeen moved so it has a fifth location parameter P₅. It should be notedthat the fifth location parameter P₅ is not equal to the second locationparameter P₂ (FIG. 2b ) because the second lighting system 110 b of FIG.2e is at a different location than the second lighting system 110 b ofFIG. 2b . It should also be noted that the second lighting system 110 bof FIG. 2b is shown in phantom in FIG. 2e for illustrative purposes andto show the difference between the first and fifth location parametersP₂ and P₅. In this embodiment, the computer 101 determines the locationparameter of each lighting system of the lighting system array 105, asdiscussed in more detail above.

FIG. 2f is a front view of the computer 101 of FIG. 2e , which includesthe display 102. In this embodiment, the computer 101 provides a digitallocation map 103 a. In this embodiment, the digital location map 103 acorresponds to the positioning of lighting systems 110 a, 110 b, 110 c,and 110 d as shown in FIG. 2e , wherein the lighting systems 110 a, 110b, 110 c, and 110 d have the first, second, third, and fourth locationparameters P₁, P₅, P₃, and P₄, respectively. The digital location map103 a includes the first lighting system icon 111 a which represents thefirst lighting system 110 a, wherein the first lighting system icon 111a is represented as being at a position corresponding to the firstlocation parameter P₁. The digital location map 103 a includes a fifthlighting system icon 111 e which represents the second lighting system110 b, wherein the second lighting system icon 111 b is represented asbeing at a position corresponding to fifth location parameter P₅. Thedigital location map 103 a includes the third lighting system icon 111 cwhich represents the third lighting system 110 c, wherein the thirdlighting system icon 111 c is represented as being at a positioncorresponding to the third location parameter P₃. The digital locationmap 103 a includes the fourth lighting system icon 111 d whichrepresents the fourth lighting system 110 d, wherein the fourth lightingsystem icon 111 d is represented as being at a position corresponding tothe fourth location parameter P₄.

As discussed in more detail above with FIG. 2e , the fifth locationparameter P₅ corresponds to the new location of the second lightingsystem 110 b. The second lighting system 110 b is represented by thefifth lighting system icon 111 e to indicate that it is at the newlocation. It should also be noted that the second lighting system icon111 b of FIG. 2b is shown in phantom in FIG. 2f for illustrativepurposes and to show the difference between the second and fifthlocation parameters P₂ and P₅. In this way, the digital location map 103(FIG. 2c ) is adjusted, to provide the digital location map 103 a, inresponse to adjusting the location of a lighting system of the lightingsystem array 105.

FIG. 2g is a front view of the computer 101 of FIG. 2e , which includesthe display 102. In this embodiment, the computer 101 provides a digitallight map 104 a corresponding to the location parameters discussed inmore detail above with FIGS. 2e and 2f . The digital light map 104 a isdisplayed by display 102.

As mentioned above with FIG. 2d , the computer 101 can provide thedigital light map 104 a in many different ways. In this embodiment, thedigital light map 104 a corresponds to the positioning of lightingsystems 110 a, 110 b, 110 c, and 110 d as shown in FIG. 2f , wherein thelighting systems 110 a, 110 b, 110 c, and 110 d have the first, second,third, and fourth location parameters P₁, P₅, P₃, and P₄, respectively.The digital light map 104 a includes contour lines which represent theintensity of light provided by the lighting systems 110 a, 110 b, 110 c,and 110 d. For example, the number and density of contour lightsproximate to the first location parameter P₁ represents the intensity oflight provided by the first lighting system 110 a. The number anddensity of contour lights proximate to the fifth location parameter P₅represents the intensity of light provided by the second lighting system110 b. The number and density of contour lights proximate to the thirdlocation parameter P₃ represents the intensity of light provided by thethird lighting system 110 c. The number and density of contour lightsproximate to the fourth location parameter P₄ represents the intensityof light provided by the fourth lighting system 110 d. In this way, theamount of light provided by a lighting system of the lighting systemarray 105 is adjusted in response to adjusting a selected locationparameter.

As mentioned above with FIG. 2d , the digital light map 104 can bedriven to a desired digital light map in response to adjusting thelocation of a lighting system of the lighting system array 105. Itshould be noted that the location parameter of the lighting systemcorresponds to the location of a corresponding lighting system. Thelocation parameter of the lighting system is adjusted in response toadjusting the location of the corresponding lighting system. Hence, thedigital light map can be driven to the desired digital light map inresponse to adjusting the location parameter of the lighting system.

For example, in FIGS. 2e and 2f , the second lighting system 110 b hasbeen moved from the location corresponding to the second locationparameter P₂ to the location corresponding to the fifth locationparameter P₅. In this way, the digital light map 104 has been driven tothe desired digital light map 104 a, in response to adjusting thelocation of the second lighting system 110 b of the lighting systemarray 105.

FIG. 2h is a front view of the computer 101 of FIG. 2e , which includesthe display 102. In this embodiment, the computer 101 provides a digitallight map 104 b corresponding to the location parameters discussed inmore detail above with FIGS. 2e and 2f . The digital light map 104 b isdisplayed by display 102. The number and/or density of contour lines areadjustable in response to adjusting the amount of light (e.g. lightintensity) provided by a lighting system of lighting system array 105.In this situation, the amount of light provided by the second lightingsystem 110 b has been adjusted, and the corresponding number and densityof contour lines indicated by the fifth location parameter P₅ have beenadjusted in response. The number and density of contour lines increasesin response to increasing the amount of light provided by thecorresponding lighting system. Further, the number and density ofcontour lines decreases in response to decreasing the amount of lightprovided by the corresponding lighting system. It should be noted that,in this situation (FIG. 2h ), the number and density of contour linesindicated by the fifth location parameter P₅ have been reduced becausethe amount of light provided by the second lighting system 110 b hasbeen reduced. However, in other situations, the number and density ofcontour lines indicated by the fifth location parameter P₅ will beincreased in response to increasing the amount of light provided by thesecond lighting system 110 b. The same is true for the other lightingsystems of lighting system array 105, such as lighting systems 110 a,110 c, and 110 d. In this way, the computer 101 provides a digital lightmap corresponding to the amount of light provided by the lighting systemarray 105.

FIG. 3a is a block diagram of an apparatus 100 d, and FIG. 3b is aschematic diagram of the apparatus 100 d of FIG. 3a proximate to thearea 107. Information regarding the area 107 is provided in more detailabove.

In this embodiment, the apparatus 100 d includes the computer 101, andthe lighting system array 105 operatively in communication with thecomputer 101. Information regarding the lighting system array 105 isprovided in more detail above. It should be noted that N is equal tofour (N=4) in FIG. 3b , so that the apparatus 100 d includes thelighting systems 110 a, 110 b, 110 c, and 110 d. As discussed in moredetail above, the lighting systems include a communication module, suchas the first and second communication modules 120 a and 120 b, as wellas a light array, such as the first and second light arrays 130 a and130 b.

In this embodiment, the computer 101 determines the location parameterof each lighting system of the lighting system array 105. As shown inFIG. 3b , the location parameters for lighting systems 110 a, 110 b, 110c, and 110 d are the first, second, third, and fourth locationparameters P₁, P₂, P₃, and P₄, respectively. Information regarding thelocation parameter, and determining the location parameter, is providedin more detail above.

In one embodiment of the apparatus 100 d, the computer 101 determines alocation parameter of the lighting systems of the lighting system array105. For example, in one situation, the computer 101 determines thefirst location parameter P₁ of the first lighting system 110 a, whereinthe first location parameter P₁ is provided to the computer 101 with thefirst communication signal S_(Comm1). In another situation, the computer101 determines the second location parameter P₂ of the second lightingsystem 110 b, wherein the second location parameter P₂ is provided tothe computer 101 with the second communication signal S_(Comm2). Inanother situation, the computer 101 determines the third locationparameter P₃ of the third lighting system 110 c, wherein the thirdlocation parameter P₃ is provided to the computer 101 with the thirdcommunication signal S_(Comm3). In another situation, the computer 101determines the fourth location parameter P₄ of the fourth lightingsystem 110 d, wherein the fourth location parameter P₄ is provided tothe computer 101 with the fourth communication signal S_(Comm4). Ingeneral, the computer determines the N^(th) location parameter P_(N) ofthe lighting system 110N, wherein the N^(th) location parameter P_(N) isprovided to the computer with the N^(th) signal S_(CommN).

In another embodiment of the apparatus 100 d, the computer 101determines the location parameter of at least one of the lightingsystems of the lighting system array 105. For example, in one situation,the computer 101 determines the first and third location parameters P₁and P₃ of the lighting systems 110 a and 110 c, wherein the first andthird location parameters P₁ and P₃ are provided to the computer 101with the first and third communication signals S_(Comm1) and S_(Comm3),respectively. In another situation, the computer 101 determines thesecond location parameter P₂ of the second lighting system 110 b,wherein the second location parameter P₂ is provided to the computer 101with the second communication signal S_(Comm2). In another situation,the computer 101 determines the third location parameter P₃ of the thirdlighting system 110 c, wherein the third location parameter P₃ isprovided to the computer 101 with the third communication signalS_(Comm3). In another situation, the computer 101 determines the fourthlocation parameter P₄ of the fourth lighting system 110 d, wherein thefourth location parameter P₄ is provided to the computer 101 with thefourth communication signal S_(Comm4). In general, the computer 101determines the N^(th) location parameter P₁, P₂, . . . , P_(N) of atleast one of the lighting systems 110 a, 110 b, . . . , 110N,respectively, wherein the N^(th) locations parameters are provided tothe computer 101 with the corresponding N^(th) communication signals.

As mentioned above, the computer 101 can be in communication with alight sensor which provides light intensity information. In thisembodiment, the apparatus 100 d includes a light sensor array 140 (FIG.3a ), wherein the light sensor array 140 is in communication with thecomputer 101. The light sensor array 140 determines the amount of lightproximate to the area 107. Light proximate to the area 107 includeslight in the area 107. The light proximate to the area 107 typicallyincludes the light provided by the lighting system array 105. In thisway, the light sensor array 140 determines the amount of light providedby the lighting system array 105. The light proximate to the area 107can also include ambient light, such as sunlight and light from remotesources. An example of a remote source is a light source positioned awayfrom the area 107.

In general, the light sensor array 140 includes one or more lightsensors. In this embodiment, the light sensor array 140 includes aplurality of light sensors, which are denoted as light sensors 140 a,140 b, . . . , 140M (FIG. 3a ), wherein M is a whole number greater thanone. For example, when M is equal to three (M=3), the light sensor array140 includes the first, second, and third light sensors 140 a, 140 b,and 140 c. When M is equal to five (M=5), the light sensor array 140includes the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth light sensors 140a, 140 b, 140 c, 140 d, and 140 e. It should be noted that M is equal toeight (M=8) in FIG. 3b , so that the apparatus 100 d includes the first,second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth light sensors140 a, 140 b, 140 c, 140 d, 140 e, 140 f, 140 g, and 140 h.

As mentioned above, software operating on the computer 101 can use thelight intensity information provided by the light sensor array 140 toprovide contour lines. Hence, in this embodiment, the computer 101 ofthe apparatus 100 d can use the light intensity information provided bythe M^(th) light sensors 140 a, 140 b, . . . , 140M (FIG. 3a ) toprovide contour lines (FIG. 3d ). It should be noted that the contourlines are displayed by the display 102.

The light intensity information can be provided by the light sensoryarray 140 to the computer 101 in many different ways. In thisembodiment, the M^(th) light sensors 140 a, 140 b, . . . , 140M of thelight sensor array 140 each provide a sense signal to the computer inresponse to receiving light. In particular, the first light sensor 140 aprovides a first sense signal S_(Sense1) to the computer 101 in responseto receiving light. The second light sensor 140 b provides a secondsense signal S_(Sense2) to the computer 101 in response to receivinglight. In general, the light sensor 140M provides an M^(th) sense signalS_(SenseM) to the computer 101 in response to receiving light. In theparticular embodiment of FIG. 3b , the first, second, third, fourth,fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth light sensors 140 a, 140 b, 140 c, 140d, 140 e, 140 f, 140 g, and 140 h provide the first, second, third,fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth sense signals S_(Sense1),S_(Sense2), S_(Sense3), S_(Sense4), S_(Sense5), S_(Sense6), S_(Sense7),and S_(Sense8), respectively.

In this embodiment, the computer 101 determines a location parameter ofeach light sensor of the light sensor array 140. The location parametercorresponds to the location of a corresponding light sensor of the lightsensor array 140. For example, in as shown in FIG. 3b , the first,second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth light sensors140 a, 140 b, 140 c, 140 d, 140 e, 140 f, 140 g, and 140 h have thefirst, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth locationparameters of S₁, S₂, S₃, S₄, S₅, S₆, S₇, and S₈, respectively. In thisembodiment wherein M is equal to eight, the first, second, third,fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth location parameters S₁, S₂,S₃, S₄, S₅, S₆, S₇, and S₈ are included with the first, second, third,fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth sense signals S_(Sense1),S_(Sense2), S_(Sense3), S_(Sense4), S_(Sense5), S_(Sense6), S_(Sense7),and S_(Sense8), respectively. In the embodiment wherein M is equal tothree, the first, second, and third location parameters S₁, S₂, and S₃are included with the first, second, and third sense signals S_(Sense1),S_(Sense2), and S_(Sense3). In the embodiment wherein M is equal tofive, the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth location parametersS₁, S₂, S₃, S₄, and S₅ are included with the first, second, third,fourth, and fifth sense signals S_(Sense1), S_(Sense2), S_(Sense3),S_(Sense4) and S_(Sense5). In general, the M^(th) location parametersS₁, S₂, . . . , S_(M) are included with the M^(th) sense signalsS_(Sense1), S_(Sense2), . . . , S_(SenseM).

It should be noted that the computer 101 can determine the locationparameter of the light sensors in many different ways, such as thosediscussed in more detail above. For example, the computer can determinethe location parameter using GPS, RSSI, triangulation and/or pinging. Insome embodiments, the light sensors are integrated with a correspondinglighting system, so that the location parameter of the light sensorcorresponds with the location parameter of the lighting system. Forexample, the first light sensor 140 a can be integrated with the firstlighting system 110 a, so that the location parameters P₁ and S₁ are thesame, or substantially the same. The first light sensor 140 a can beintegrated with the first lighting system 110 a in many different ways.For example, the first light sensor 140 a can be carried by the firstlighting system 110 a. It should be noted that the first sense signalS_(Sense1) can be included with the first communication signalS_(Comm1), if desired.

FIG. 3c is a front view of the computer 101 of FIG. 3b , which includesthe display 102. As discussed in more detail above, the display 102 canbe of many different types, such as one typically included with acomputer to display an image.

In this embodiment, the computer 101 provides a digital location map 103b corresponding to the location parameters discussed in more detailabove. The digital location map 103 b is displayed by the display 102.The computer 101 can provide the digital location map 103 b in manydifferent ways, such as those discussed in more detail above. Forexample, the computer 101 can determine the location parameter usingGPS, RSSI, triangulation and/or pinging.

In this embodiment, the digital location map 103 b corresponds to thepositioning of the lighting systems 110 a, 110 b, 110 c, and 110 b asshown in FIG. 3b , wherein the lighting systems 110 a, 110 b, 110 c, and110 b have the first, second, third, and fourth location parameters P₁,P₂, P₃, and P₄, respectively. The digital location map 103 b includesthe first lighting system icon 111 a which represents the first lightingsystem 110 a, wherein the first lighting system icon 111 a isrepresented as being at a position corresponding to the first locationparameter P₁. The digital location map 103 b includes the secondlighting system icon 111 b which represents the second lighting system110 b, wherein the second lighting system icon 111 b is represented asbeing at a position corresponding to the second location parameter P₂.The digital location map 103 b includes the third lighting system icon111 c which represents the third lighting system 110 c, wherein thethird lighting system icon 111 c is represented as being at a positioncorresponding to the third location parameter P₃. The digital locationmap 103 b includes the fourth lighting system icon 111 d whichrepresents the fourth lighting system 110 d, wherein the fourth lightingsystem icon 111 d is represented as being at a position corresponding tothe fourth location parameter P₄.

As mentioned above, the first, second, third, and fourth lighting systemicons 111 a, 111 b, 111 c and 111 d are graphical representations of thecorresponding lighting systems 110 a, 110 b, 110 c, and 110 d. Thelighting system icons 111 a, 111 b, 111 c and 111 d generally include apixel, wherein the pixel can include color. The lighting system icons111 a, 111 b, 111 c, and 111 d can have an image file format, such asJPEG, TIFF, and BMP.

In this embodiment, the digital location map 103 b corresponds to thepositioning of the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh,and eighth light sensors 140 a, 140 b, 140 c, 140 d, 140 e, 140 f, 140g, and 140 h as shown in FIG. 3b , wherein the first, second, third,fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth light sensors 140 a, 140 b,140 c, 140 d, 140 e, 140 f, 140 g, and 140 h have the first, second,third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth location parameters S₁,S₂, S₃, S₄, S₅, S₆, S₇, and S₈, respectively. The digital location map103 b includes the first light sensor icon 141 a which represents thefirst light sensor 140 a, wherein the first light sensor icon 141 a isrepresented as being at a position corresponding to the first locationparameter S₁. The digital location map 103 b includes the second lightsensor icon 141 b which represents the second light sensor 140 b,wherein the second lighting system icon 111 b is represented as being ata position corresponding to the second location parameter S₂. Thedigital location map 103 b includes the third light sensor icon 141 cwhich represents the third light sensor 140 c, wherein the thirdlighting system icon 111 c is represented as being at a positioncorresponding to the third location parameter S₃. The digital locationmap 103 b includes the fourth light sensor icon 141 d which representsthe fourth light sensor 140 d, wherein the fourth lighting system icon111 d is represented as being at a position corresponding to the fourthlocation parameter S₄. The digital location map 103 b includes the fifthlight sensor icon 141 e which represents the fifth light sensor 140 e,wherein the fifth lighting system icon 111 e is represented as being ata position corresponding to the fifth location parameter S₅. The digitallocation map 103 b includes the sixth light sensor icon 141 f whichrepresents the sixth light sensor 140 f, wherein the lighting systemicon 111 f is represented as being at a position corresponding to thesixth location parameter S₆. The digital location map 103 b includes theseventh light sensor icon 141 g which represents the seventh lightsensor 140 g, wherein the lighting system icon 111 g is represented asbeing at a position corresponding to the seventh location parameter S₇.The digital location map 103 b includes the eighth light sensor icon 141h which represents the eighth light sensor 140 h, wherein the lightingsystem icon 111 h is represented as being at a position corresponding tothe eighth location parameter S₈.

The first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighthlight sensor icons 141 a, 141 b, 141 c, 141 d, 141 e, 141 f, 141 g, and141 h are graphical representations of the corresponding first, second,third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth light sensor 140 a, 140b, 140 c, 140 d, 140 e, 140 f, 140 g, and 140 h. The first, second,third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth light sensor icons 141a, 141 b, 141 c, 141 d, 141 e, 141 f, 141 g, and 141 h generally includea pixel, wherein the pixel can include color. The first, second, third,fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth light sensor icons 141 a, 141b, 141 c, 141 d, 141 e, 141 f, 141 g, and 141 h can have an image fileformat, such as JPEG, TIFF, and BMP.

FIG. 3d is a front view of the computer 101, which includes the display102. In this embodiment, the computer 101 provides a digital light map104 c corresponding to the location parameters discussed in more detailabove with FIG. 3c . The digital light map 104 c is displayed by display102.

The computer 101 can provide the digital light map 104 c in manydifferent ways, such as those discussed in more detail above. In thisembodiment, the digital light map 104 c corresponds to the positioningof the lighting systems 110 a, 110 b, 110 c, and 110 b as shown in FIG.3b , wherein the lighting systems 110 a, 110 b, 110 c, and 110 b havethe first, second, third, and fourth location parameters P₁, P₂, P₃, andP₄, respectively. The digital light map 104 c includes contour lineswhich represent the intensity of light provided by the lighting systems110 a, 110 b, 110 c, and 110 b, wherein the intensity of light isprovided to the computer 101 by the first, second, third, fourth, fifth,sixth, seventh, and eighth light sensors 140 a, 140 b, 140 c, 140 d, 140e, 140 f, 140 g, and 140 h of FIG. 3b . For example, the number anddensity of contour lights proximate to first location parameter P₁represents the intensity of light provided by the first lighting system110 a. The number and density of contour lights proximate to secondlocation parameter P₂ represents the intensity of light provided by thesecond lighting system 110 b. The number and density of contour lightsproximate to third location parameter P₃ represents the intensity oflight provided by the third lighting system 110 c. The number anddensity of contour lights proximate to fourth location parameter P₄represents the intensity of light provided by the fourth lighting system110 d.

The contour lines can be determined by the computer 101 in manydifferent ways, several of which are discussed in more detail below. Thecomputer 101 can be in communication with a light sensor which provideslight intensity information. Software operating on the computer 101 canuse the light intensity information provided by the light sensor toprovide the contour lines. There are many different types of softwarethat can be used, such as imaging software. Some examples of imagingsoftware that can be used include PROSOURCE for light source modelingand TRACEPRO. Other types of software that can be used include buildingdesign software. Building design software is generally used to determinethe lighting requirements of a building. Some examples of buildingdesign software include ECOTECT, RELUX, and RADIANCE. In this way, thecomputer 101 provides the digital light map 104 c corresponding to theamount of light provided by the lighting system array 105.

Disclosed herein are various embodiments of a lighting system whichprovides many useful functions. The lighting system allows the use of alight sensor array to provide light intensity information to a computer.The intensity of the light provided by the lighting system array in agreenhouse can be adjusted to maintain desired light levels. Forexample, a lighting system can be driven to provide more light inresponse to a cloud passing by, as sensed by the light sensor array, anddriven to provide less light in response to the cloud moving away.

The embodiments of the invention described herein are exemplary andnumerous modifications, variations and rearrangements can be readilyenvisioned to achieve substantially equivalent results, all of which areintended to be embraced within the spirit and scope of the invention asdefined in the appended claims.

1. An apparatus, comprising: a computer; and a first lighting system operatively in communication with the computer; wherein the first lighting system comprises a first communication module in communication with the computer; and wherein the first communication module provides a first location parameter to the computer for a digital location map, the first location parameter corresponding to a location of the first lighting system, the first location parameter being adjustable in response to moving the first lighting system.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first location parameter of the first communication module is adjusted in response to adjusting the location of the first lighting system.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a second lighting system operatively in communication with the computer, wherein the second lighting system comprises a second communication module in communication with the computer, the second lighting system comprising a second light emitting diode.
 4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the second communication module provides a second location parameter to the computer, the second location parameter corresponding to a location of the second lighting system.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the second location parameter of the second communication module is adjusted in response to adjusting the location of the second lighting system.
 6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the computer generates the digital location map corresponding to the location of the first and second lighting systems.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the computer determines the respective location parameter of the first and second lighting systems using a radio signal strength indication.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the computer determines the location parameter of the first and second lighting systems using triangulation.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the computer determines the location parameter of the first and second lighting systems using network ping response rate.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the computer determines the location parameter of the first and second lighting systems using a wireless network.
 11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the computer adjusts the light provided by the first lighting system in response to an indication that the first location parameter has been adjusted.
 12. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the first and second communication modules establish a wireless network proximate to the first and second lighting systems.
 13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first communication module comprises a global positioning system chip.
 14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the computer generates the digital location map corresponding to a location of the first lighting system.
 15. An apparatus, comprising: a lighting system array configured to operatively communicate with a computer that provides a digital light map corresponding to light provided by the lighting system array, the computer being configured to adjust a light output provided by the lighting system array to drive the digital light map to a desired digital light map.
 16. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a light sensor array, wherein the computer provides the digital light map in response to a signal from the light sensor array.
 17. The apparatus of claim 15, the digital light map being one-dimensional, wherein the computer is configured to provide the one dimensional digital light map corresponding to the amount of light provided by the lighting system array.
 18. The apparatus of claim 15, the digital light map being two-dimensional, wherein the computer is configured to provide the two dimensional digital light map corresponding to the amount of light provided by the lighting system array.
 19. The apparatus of claim 15, the digital light map being three-dimensional, wherein the computer is configured to provide the three dimensional digital light map corresponding to the amount of light provided by the lighting system array.
 20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the lighting system comprises a communication module in communication with the computer; the communication module being configured to provide a first location parameter to the computer for the digital light map, the first location parameter corresponding to a location of the lighting system, the first location parameter being adjustable in response to moving the lighting system. 